Old Dogs, New Tricks, Same Emergencies: Mapping the Gap in Disaster Medicine Training in Israel

Introduction: Emergency medicine and trauma surgery have been considered the leading disciplines in managing mass casualty incidents (MCI); however, considerable gaps in MCI-related knowledge, training, and preparedness of these disciplines have been observed. Methods: An anonymous survey study was conducted to collect data about MCI training and preparedness from physicians specializing in Pediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM), Emergency Medicine (EM), and Trauma Surgery (TS) in Israel. Results: Forty-eight responders completed the survey; of them, 41% were PEM physicians, 37% were EM physicians, and 22% were TS physicians. Thirty-eight percent were junior specialists, followed by fellows and experienced specialists (19% and 19%, respectively). Approximately 50% of the respondents had received some form of disaster training, primarily through MCI drills, indeed, MCI drills were perceived as the efficacious method of training among all other options. While fellows’ lack of interest was reported as the main suggested barrier for MCI training, interest and relevance of such training were the highest among this group, with increasing loss of interest among senior physicians. Conclusion: This survey highlights the need for disaster medicine training and emphasizes its importance early in the training of PEM, EM, and TS physicians.